It wasn’t the most eventful match we could have expected and it was a (slightly) deflected Gareth Bale shot which turned into an own goal, but in the end, Luka Modrić and Real Madrid will play in their second Champions League Final in the past three seasons. Modric got the start and played 80 minutes but should have finished a ball when he was all alone in front of goal after breaking the offside trap. Instead, he froze thinking the flag was up and got off a weak shot at Joe Hart. The goal would have given Real Madrid a comfortable 2-0 lead, however, the one-goal win will see Real face off against city rivals Atletico in Milan, Italy at the end of the month.
eduardo > kramaric > messi > pjaca > ronaldo > mandzukic > neymar > suarez
Verrati
Ox, Vertati, and gundogan all out of euro 2016
The only reason he’s even playing is because that team lacks a true number 9 bunch of Brazilian 10s and wingers
I saw the Sevilla-Shakthar game. Eduardo is not even close to the player he once was. His technical skills are still present but he doesn’t run anymore. He just lingers around, waiting for the ball to come. Great guy to play in the Ukraine League, hopeless to have him around in international games. And I say this as a huge Eduardo fan.
@ maminjo
Eduardo recently stated that he is open to being recalled to repka. He’s scored the most goals out of all our strikers this season at club level. So He’s still got some juice in the tank, which could come in handy this summer!
Actually there are times when we should be playing with two strikers, such as the 85th minute when where down 1-0, desperate for an equalizer.
It’s pointless to talk about this, as Eduardo officially retired and I doubt he would accept a callup anyway.
He’s probably better than Kalinic. Though I still put Kramaric ahead of him.
Doesn’t matter anyway as we should only ever be playing a lone striker, and that striker should always be Mandzukic.
@Everyone
If the NT takes 4 strikers, let’s say 5 Who do you think will be picked?
Mandza, Kalinic, Kramaric and Pjaca. Who is left ? Duje Cop, Rebic, Santini
Guys, who would be a better pick RIGHT NOW in current form for a final striker spot than Eduardo? I can’t see the logic yet with people not wanting him there. Mind you Eduardo chose to leave the team after Brazil AND Mamic definitely does not like him. We all know why. I don’t think Eduardo has stated if he would like to return should he be given the chance or not BUT do you guys think he will be given the chance? If not, why should he not be recalled? Do you thinks it’s a Mamic thing ?
If it’s a cultural thing that’s one thing but no other bench forward has better stats than him now.
Eduardo has more goals this year than he did in England. Ok we understand it’s the Ukrainian league but it is still a better record than any of the strikers we have left over for the final spot should they take 5. I am not sure if there is a rule on how many players a national team can take for each position. I think that is up to the coaching staff but I think they usually go with 4.
I could be wrong, maybe I am missing someone.
Agreed. Out with the old. Thank you for your service but as Bocelli would say “it’s time to say goodbye.”
I am a Srna fan but today’s game was a reminder of what I don’t want to see in the Euros, nonstop crosses of which 1 out of every 4 were of any quality. He just aint what he used to be.
Eduardo did slot that goal in nicely, but he did little else. Do not want to see him play for us again.
I’m sure a few Croatian players will be making their way over. Their club performances in Europe will surely be on the rise.
Mateo Kovacic might be among the first to jump (Liverpool)
http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/story/look-out-europe-the-premier-league-is-ready-to-splash-their-ridiculous-new-cash-050516
@Razbijac
I’m with you. We’re better off than most teams up front, but most will disagree with us.
Another really good game from Lovren. Kept a clean sheet and made what was a game saving tackle at the time to prevent Villarral from drawing level at 1-1. It would have been the away goal meaning Liverpool would need 2 more goals. Pretty high pressure situation too since this was a make or break win for the success of their season.
Mandzukic, Kalinic, Eduardo, Kramaric–now that’s not a bad group of strikers for the Euros if ya ask me!
Modric had a great game…Neymar is a bitch https://youtu.be/ZqUkB7lnqU8
Anyone read the news today about that turbo serbo singer and Kovacic?!
This calls for a nickname. Moneybags Mateo?
I said that last week Armada!
Seriously…we should call dudu up! He is in great form…at 32 he is better than kalinic ever was. We need some reinforcement for mandzukic.
That’d be a good locker room move, never questioned that mans croatianess
Dudu scored? That’s it. Call him back to the NT immediately.
and their down 3-1, sigh “legend” eduardo
Appears Lovren had another good game.
Fucking legend Eduardo ties it up for Shaktar, he’s been superb this season. Srna on the other hand is playing like a baba
His missed opportunity and non-dive at the top of the box only show that he’s not a scorer (no nose for goal) which we already know. He’s still man of the match and world class. You need to watch the full game, not highlights to make a determination on MoM.
He would never be MoM in both games (which he was for me and many others) if there were a bunch of goals. How often is a player useless all game but then capitalizes on one or two opportunities and gets MoM. For me Bale was not even second best yesterday. Carvahal, Kroos or Pepe would probably be in the argument.
world class players miss that show more often than they make it.
modric’s missed open shot is the shining example of why he is no world class player…a world class player puts that away…especially on the big stage like that
bz
fresh legs and to kill time
@idemo Real pulled back as soon as they got the goal, but yet still created more chances. With Bale & Ronaldo clearly not fit, Real did what they needed to do. Would have been different headline though had Aguero’s laser gone in, less of han 1 minute after Zidane inexplicably subbed in Kovacic.
Modric was definitely not man of the match yesterday, not sure anybody deserved that title. I’d give it to Bale (own goal could have produced a goal as a cross too). Carvajal had a decent game also.
Both legs were shit, he just happen to be the least shittiest, not a single stand out performance, yesterday city were happy just to be there, uninspired, they lost to a Madrid team that played bad, says more about city
lets get something straight… modric was fantastic against brazil in the world cup…all the advanced stats show it in terms of key passes etc….he hurt himself pretty good in that game though, which i’m sure hampered his play from there
modric has moved though from underrated to overrated…i watched yesterday’s highlights…nothing too special to me….how can they call him man of the match in both games, when his job is to facilitate offensive flow…and maybe the 2nd most offensively talented team in the world failed to score a single goal in 180 minutes !
The missed chance in the video is a great example of what would make Modric (who is a fantastic player) even better. He obviously has the skill to have calmly taken a slight touch to the side and then slot it into the goal. Only hope for City would have been for Hart to bring him down for the pen.
do you suffer from ‘dumb cunt syndrome’?
@Maminjo……all true, but that doesn’t take into account one of our biggest problems…..mental midget disease
@Brkic Modric actually got clipped twice on that play.
@maminjo We are on same page, Modric definitely played higher, and was damn good at it. From the looks of it, under Cacic, the mids will likely be more aggressive, instead of repetitively sending it out wide for crosses to Mandzo.
That Turkey game was as bad as any sporting moment in my life including ’98. From ecstasy to sickness. I was so defeated before the pk’s even began.
Looking at our current squad, our team “should” be better than the one we fielded at the World Cup for these reasons:
– No more Pranjic
– Subasic a huge upgrade over Pletikosa
– Brozovic growing exponentially as a player
– Perisic somehow getting even better
– Mandzukic not being suspended for the first game
– The always reliable Domagoj Vida likey starting for us
– Kovacic not likely to start for us (better as a bench player)
– Lovren not likely to play and draw dumb penalties
– No Sammir or Jelavic wasting a starting spot
– Better reserves (Halilovic, Kovacic, Vrsaljko, Kramaric)
The only negatives I can think of are:
– Srna being older (and likely slower)
– Vrsaljko not likely to start in our back four
– Rakitic not likely to be pushed forward behind the strikers
euro 96 and euro 2008 we played well
i agree with Tone about the hair thing, he is like Samson (Modric), needs longer hair
That turkey game is still haunting me lol.
@ Lika Joey – I was talking more about our quality of play.
We were penalty kicks away against Turkey to reach the semi-finals in 2008, where we would have faced Germany, who we had beaten earlier in the group stage – that’s pretty close.
Bobby v we finished 3rd in a world cup! And Suker won the golden boot. We have never come close to that at euro.
•In other La Liga news, Atlético Madrid are keen on signing Sassuolo full-back Sime Vrsaljko, a breakout Serie A star this season. The Croatian international would serve as Juanfran’s backup in the Colchonero squad.
•Barcelona loanee Alen Halilovic is once again set to leave on either a loan or a transfer with Barça holding a buy-back clause. The biggest suitors in La Liga are Valencia, Sevilla and Villarreal.
He had poor form at Brazil wc because he cut his hair short right before the tournament. Big mistake … Lost his power
i think croatia plays poorly outside of europe which is why they do well in euros and also france 98 cos france.. whenever i see a tourney in brazil or south africa or even korea/japan, i always think ah croatia’s gonna play like dogshit that far from home.. just seems to be the way it is for some reason
Great game by Modric today, pure class. He’s arguably the best midfielder Real have had since Zidane. Hopefully Zizou cuts down Modric’s minutes in the remaining La Liga matches to keep ‘im fresh!
Good to see Kova getta coupla minutes–even if it’s garbage time. It’s better to be fed crumbs, than to starve in the cellar!
On the bright side, he’ll certainly be fresh for the Euros. While he prolly won’t start, maybe he’ll become an Ace up Cacic’s sleeve.
In its history, Croatia has played much better at the European Championships than the World Cup. It’s not even close.
With a water-downed tournament, it is why I have high expectations.
Subasic, Brozovic, and a more experienced Kovacic will be a big upgrade over what we had in Brazil.
I thought Modric had a typically great game today. Classiest player on the pitch.
I wish he had a slightly more selfish style because he would be even better if he ran at defenders a bit more frequently. I have noticed that under Zidane he has taken a few more chances around the box lately. Today he was clearly fouled early in the first half at the top of the box, but didn’t go down with the contact. Result was a “play on”. This irks me to no end since it really encourages diving.
He had no goals and no assists today per usual, but he created several very good chances and controlled the game. Several times he made passes that were head shakers – just ridiculously good. He’s probably at the peak of his career for this Euros and I hope he has a great tournament.
^ ^
That’s the one everyone remembers.
Probably his best ever game for us.
I thought he was good in the Turkey game (til his pk miss) and the Austria game too.
@Maminjo
I don’t know if I’m imagining things but I thought when he first came up he not only played higher up the field but also a little more on the wing.
His performance against Spain in Euro 2012 was magical. Literally carried Croatia at points in that game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXybd-plfqU
Was it Bilic who started playing Modric in that deep-lying midfield (regista) role?
I recall back at Dinamo, he was actually a goalscorer and played behind the striker at times. I think he had like 13 goals the season before Euro 2008 began. Then when he was sold to Spurs, he exclusively played deep in that regista role (similar to how he was used at the National Team level).
I agree.
’08 and ’12 he had a couple of great games.
Both tourney’s under Bilic.
Poglavnik all the European championships he has played well. World cup was poor from Luka…
of course you let him rest up, he’s clearly gonna be fit and tired if his season goes into late may, in some respects it might be better for form to carry over,
comparing modric performances for real and croatia is comparing apples and oranges; you can’t.
we want him to be the man; they want him to supply the man
Seems like his best years with us were under Bilic.
Bilic was good for his confidence.
Remember when Slaven said he wouldn’t trade him for anyone and that there wasn’t a better midfielder in the world?
That was good for his mozak I think.
I love Modric but “outstanding for Croatia more than he has been poor” is rather generous.
Also real madrid can win without Rinaldo…but not without Modric!
Modric has been outstanding for Croatia more than he has been poor.
Ziva did you watch the brazil game??? Modric got nailed…they thought he fractured his foot…he also got that head shot in the other game that would of knocked you out. Modric will be fine! Unless he is injured.
I’m just going by history………..Real and Modric won the CL in 2014…….He came to camp and was given an individual program for a number of days so he could rest up……..What did you think of his play at the World Cup? It sure wasn’t at the same level as what he did with Real in winning the CL. Maybe he could have used an extra week of rest if he didn’t have to play and prepare for the CL final.
As a pro who makes his money with Real Madrid, he should be more focused with his club side because, after all they are the ones who pay him. You can forgive him for not giving it his all or having nothing left to give because of club commitments.
What’s the point of losing (which we didn’t HALA MADRID) when the same amount of risk for injury exists in the rest of training for la liga and camp for repka
I’m a fan of the game, Real Madrid is my team and I hope they get through and win it all…I follow the sport and not the money line.
I don’t know. I think that is stretching it.
Modric or any Cro athlete winning titles is nice and brings pride to the people of the country. But, I don’t think it does much else. Goran winning Wimbledon, Doper Cilic winning the US open, Modric winning a Champions League, add any other success still doesn’t change the fact that we still have idiots who go to soccer games and make monkey noises or raise their right arm ala Sieg Heil or do something else idiotic. All of those – good or bad – are independent of each other.
I can enjoy sporting success without some long-term thought about how this improves the image of the country (it doesn’t). What is shows is that we produce athletes.
@ziva Fair enough. Obviously I am not indifferent. I think it is important that Croatians succeed. It generally looks good for all of us, especially when it is a guy like Modric (ie seemingly even tempered, not tatted up, hailed as a soccer genius etc). You talk about branding often; I see success for Modric as good branding for Croats, unlike the propaganda being spewed regarding us being fascists/racists.
@jm………I don’t know Modric personally, so I have no clue if he is a good guy or a dick. People I trust say he is a good dude who wishes he could go back in time and change the deal he made with the Mamic brothers where he has to fork over a certain percentage of his salary. Because of that I have an indifferent opinion of him.
So, do I want Modric to win today and another Champions League for his sake?????? I’m indifferent. It is always nice to see a hrvat win the CL, but when it comes to a game like today, I root for the money line on my bet. I am taking Real, so I will be rooting for him.
As a fan of the Croatian National team I prefer for Real to lose today so Modric is 100% for the repka when the game against Turkey arrives. Does one additional game make a difference? No. But, I rather him not be on an emotional high coming to the national team. I rather have him hungry to win for the repka.
Plus, my comment about players sacrificing themselves for club, not country is valid. Club teams pay their salary so I do expect them to give more for club than country and I am never shocked when it appears players stop playing for national team. Money is a great motivator. Do I give more to my employer or to the nonprofits I volunteer with? I give more to my employer and I buy the products of companies where I own stock. Why? Because they pay me and I enjoy getting a dividend from profits.
he gets people hook, line and sinker most of the time though – some peeps aren’t hip to the jive
@ ziva
“But, I also realize the clubs pay the money and the players should sacrifice themselves for club, not country.”
you’re funny some times….totally fishing for a comment backlash…i guess you know your readership well
@ziva if injured, i definitely wouldn’t want him playing. More pertinent question: Do you want Real to lose so Modric has one less game to get injured before the Euros? I want Real to win for Modric’s sake.
I wonder how Portugal fans feel today. Ronaldo is not totally fit. Do they prefer he sit and not play, that way he doesn’t bring into question his health/fitness for the Euros.
If Modric was carrying an injury, I would not want him to play. But, I also realize the clubs pay the money and the players should sacrifice themselves for club, not country.
I have a special treat for you fellas today. Check out what Bernie Tomik has been up to today haha:
Still nowhere near CuntKyrgios’ level of wankery but definitely worth mentioning. What is it with aussies and tanking in tennis?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-04/bernard-tomic-reverse-racquet-madrid-open-match-point/7382324?section=sport